2023: Jonathan paid Jigawa governor N200 million to buy APC nomination forms, sources allege

Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s open rejection of the N100 million All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination form was a ploy to deceive Nigerians, sources allege in a fresh report.

Recall that a Northern coalition identified as ‘Fulani Group’ purchased the form for Jonathan, asking him to fight for the APC ticket. But the former president turned it down, saying the document was procured without his consent.

“Contrary to his denials, former President Goodluck Jonathan gave over N200 million to the governor of Jigawa, Mohammed Badaru, to purchase the APC nomination and expression of interest forms for him,” a source privy to the arrangement is now quoted to have said.

Badaru, who has also purchased the APC form for himself, is reportedly working for Jonathan.

Jonathan, according to Sahara Reporters, rejected the APC form after APC national chairman Abdullahi Adamu refused to guarantee that the former president would be the consensus candidate of the ruling party.

Jonathan was Nigeria’s leader as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is now an opposition party.

An APC cabal had pushed for Jonathan to succeed Buhari after being impressed by how the former president never openly criticised the Buhari regime despite the insults the APC, as an opposition party, hurled at him (Jonathan) ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

The fact that Jonathan cannot spend more than one term in office, if they can manage to get him there, is also not lost on the cabal which reportedly wants to return power to the North by 2027.

Jonathan is said to have played along with the plan but backed out following Adamu’s failure to give him consensus assurances.

“The reason why he (Jonathan) gave him that much money – over N200 million – was that he asked the governor to buy himself a form too in order to cover up the deal,” the source is quoted to have said.

“And upon purchasing the form, Jonathan alerted Buhari. Buhari told him to meet with the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, but Adamu said he can’t guarantee him as a consensus candidate.

“At that point, GEJ (Goodluck Ebele Jonathan) started denying that he purchased the form,” another source said.